Coral Reef Ecology & Monitoring

Coral Reef Ecology and Monitoring

For those who do not have the time to complete a full Ecological Monitoring Program (EMP), the Coral Reef Ecology and Monitoring Course allows students to gain an introduction the how to assess reef health and resilience. Think of it as a Discover Scuba Dive for scientific diving. Student will learn the techniques required to survey the reef in one field (Fish, Invertebrates or Substrate) but are not assessed on the validity of their data. Students are then able to complete the rest of the EMP at a later date should they wish.

In order to start this course, students must:

Hold an advanced diver certification from a leading diving organization such as PADI or SSI.
Be 12 years of age or over
Be self-aware in the water and demonstrate proficient in buoyancy

What the course involves:

We suggest that Students choose to learn the techniques and diagnostic features for either specifically selected reef fish or invertebrate, whose abundance can reflect the health and resilience of a reef. These are known as indicator species, since they indicate to the surveyor details on what might be happening in the ecosystem. Students could opt to learn how to assess the composition of the living and non-living elements that make up the sea floor, however we recommend this study is taken part within a full EMP course. Once students are able to conduct a survey they will learn how to input the data they find into the Conservation Diver database.

Diving

The course includes 1 dive:

Recommended either:

EMP Fish dive
- Learn the belt transect technique to survey indicator species of fish
EMP Invertebrates dive
- Learn the belt transect technique to survey indicator species of fish

Other option:

EMP Substrate dive
- Learn the point-intercept, belt transect technique to survey the composition of the sea floor

Classroom

The course includes 2 knowledge development presentations

Marine Ecology
Either
- EMP Fish
- EMP Invertebrates
- EMP Substrate

Students must also pass the EMP exam related to the chosen field (Fish, Invertebrates or Substrate)

For full details on the course please visit the Conservation Diver website to view the Standards and Requirements

Expected Course Time: Minimum 4 hours over 1 or 2 days

Minimum of 1 dive

Price: $99.00